Thank you so much for your patience while I worked to get this chapter up/your support from last chapter! I am so sorry that it has taken so long. And, apologies in advance if this chapter is poorly edited/just bad in general. I just wanted to get this out, so double apologies if the responses below are a little scattered/not as in depth as normal.
Isaiah Flamez - Definitely! She's just getting comfortable first :) Thanks for the question and for your support!
NJCE - Aw thank you so much! I think you summed it up perfectly; Quinn has definitely been through a lot but Beca and Chloe won't let her work through it all alone. I went back and forth with whether or not to have Beca talking with Quinn at the end of the chapter. Originally, I was going to have it be Jordan, but then I decided that it would be a nice way to sort of transition into the part of the fic where she starts actually getting comfortable. Beca will definitely talk about her experiences with the other kids, though, so no worries there! Last chapter was angsty but this one is nice and fluffy! A nice break for a little bit! Thank you so much for your review/kind words as always - I hope you enjoy this one, too :)
Wolvezzz - HAHA no it's not bad if you laughed when Jordan hit her; I am glad you found some humor in that chapter. I'm so glad you enjoyed last chapter - it was fun to go back to YAMATW and ITAV so I might include more of those moments in the next couple of chapters. "River" is a great song and I'm sure you killed it at your audition! It was on the 10th, right? I'm probably going to cry when this story is finished too, but I think I'm going to start posting one-shots/missing scenes as opposed to making a fourth part. Not just with my ideas but from prompts/whatever you all want to see/thought were missing throughout the three stories and afterward. I also have another PP fic in the works that's in a different universe and is a new story altogether, but still! I'm not going anywhere :) Thanks so much for the luck! I'm steadily working through them... I'm currently taking a break from writing a policy analysis right now and hopefully they'll all be submitted by the beginning of next week but you know what that means for after - I will be on winter break for like a month and a half so updates will be far more frequent and regular :) Thank you so much for your review/continued support! I hope your audition went well!
Guest - Thank you so much! I'm almost done with finals thank goodness :) Thank you so much for your kind words! Yes, there will definitely be a switch in Quinn's attitude from here on out, which hopefully will be displayed in this chapter a little bit. And I'm so glad you enjoyed the talk with Beca, it was so fun to write! Thank you so much for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter, too :)
Somethingthatismine - I'm so glad you enjoyed last chapter! I know, having things between Quinn and Jordan so tense really made me sad :( but hopefully all is better now and we can start moving forward! Izzy most certainly poses an interesting factor, which may or may not come to a head in Chapter 16 hehe. Thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Special thanks for Hetwaszoietsals for the idea for the flashback at the end of this chapter!
Chapter 15
To everyone's delight, the next couple of weeks go by with little complications. It would be a lie if anyone in the Mitchell family told you that there were no other problems, and they were all living happily ever after. That's just not how life works. But there haven't been any more arrests, no more skipping school, no more sneaking out, and to them – that is a huge achievement.
Out of all three of the Perry siblings, Quinn has arguably made the most progress over the last two weeks. Jordan and Ava returned to the state they were in prior to all of the chaos, with Jordan perhaps getting closer to Beca, and Ava getting far more comfortable in the house and with the family in general. To the moms, though, Quinn has made a conscious effort to contribute to conversations, tone down the attitude, and even start participating in family affairs.
It has brought great joy to Beca and Chloe, and while they're still apprehensive about trusting Quinn, they hope that they are making headway in encouraging her to trust them.
Nevertheless, as they get past the beginning of November and closer to Thanksgiving, they're confident that they are heading in the right direction.
From Quinn's perspective, she's been doing a fair job at balancing her old life with her…new life. She has kept her promise to Beca and Chloe and has not snuck out to go see Izzy. She has talked to her on the phone, sometimes with their permission, sometimes without, and while it has been incredibly hard not seeing her, and while she still doesn't exactly see eye-to-eye with them on everything that happened, Quinn has come to realize that she can't exactly blame her foster moms for how they reacted. She did get arrested, whether she meant to or not.
The teen has also been trying harder with her siblings. She's been giving them more space and has actually begun to enjoy watching Jordan and Ava get closer with the Mitchell women. While she probably won't start cozying up to them anytime soon, there have been occasions where her and Beca have exchanged a quick laugh, or that Quinn has found herself missing the presence of Chloe's hand after she squeezes her shoulder in passing. It still makes her nervous, thinking about how much she's allowing herself to open up to these women. It still makes her nervous that she may or may not be falling into the same trap that her siblings did. But after all, would it really be a bad thing, to enjoy it just for a little while, even if they don't know when it is going to end?
She doesn't know, and it's a thought that keeps her up more nights than not. She's still hoping for an answer.
"Good morning." Quinn puts a smile on her face as she rounds the corner of the kitchen, the sounds of Tuesday morning breakfast reaching her ears instantly.
Beca and Chloe turn around from their position at the griddle, Beca's hand on the small of Chloe's back as the redhead tends to the pancakes. Chloe grins instantly. "Good morning, love. How did you sleep?"
"Fine, thank you."
She gives a small wave to Beca, who says, "Look at you all up and dressed for school. You almost seem excited."
Quinn scoffs as she makes her way over to the counter, pressing a kiss into the top of Ava and Jordan's heads, and ruffling Rosie's curls that have yet to be tamed. She takes a seat on the other side of Jordan, shaking her head. "Not at all. I'm just ready for Thanksgiving break."
"Only one more week. Then you're free for a whole five days."
Quinn sighs dramatically. "Sounds like a dream."
When Quinn turns her attention to Jordan, bumping his shoulder with hers, she doesn't catch the joyous expressions being exchanged between her two foster moms. The two of them beaming simply because she came downstairs and said good morning. They don't even have to say anything, the silent sentiment passing between them with little effort.
"Which reminds me," Beca takes a sip of her coffee, turning around to lean up against the counter. "We typically host Thanksgiving here. It's not a huge thing; just Macy, Lucas, and Kevin and Lisa. Does that sound okay? If it's not, we can always just have Macy and Lucas come." Most years, Lisa and Kevin switch on and off between attending Thanksgiving with Chloe and her brothers'. But as their other grandchildren have gotten older, they've been spending more and more years celebrating with Chloe, Beca, and Rosie. This year, especially, they want nothing more than to spend Quinn, Jordan, and Ava's first Thanksgiving with them.
Quinn glances at her siblings, both of whom are nodding in affirmation. Quinn joins in. "Sure. That sounds good."
The most memorable Thanksgiving that Quinn has had was the last Thanksgiving before they entered foster care. Her and Izzy took the kids to the Friendly's in the city, and they camped out there from the time they opened, to the time they closed. They had pancakes, and waffles, and ice cream… it was glorious, and the best part was they didn't have to worry about Sandy or Amanda. The kids were young, so she isn't sure if they remember much, but she'll forever remember that day as one of her favorite memories that she has of her siblings. They were just so happy. All of them were.
At the thought of Izzy, Quinn looks down at the counter. She talked to her last night after Beca and Chloe went to bed – not to hide it from them, but because they were sound asleep at one-thirty when she got out of work. They've been talking for a while about Beca and Chloe's requirement of them meeting Izzy before they're allowed to hang out again, and while Izzy is pissed about it, Quinn managed to convince her that it's for the best. Plus, once they do, she can sleep over if need be, and she has a safe place to stay – which may or may not have been how Quinn managed to convince her to agree. "Um… so I talked to Izzy last night."
Beca starts to pass out plates of pancakes, resulting in a chorus of 'thank yous' before Chloe addresses Quinn's comment. "You did?"
"Yeah... after she got out of work, so it was kind of late. But uh… if you still wanted to, I mean," Quinn gulps, Jordan watching her through bites of pancakes. "She doesn't have to work on Saturday night. So, I was wondering if maybe that'd be a good day for her to come over. For dinner." Talk about one of the scariest sentences she's ever said.
Beca and Chloe exchange another pleased glance, Chloe nodding immediately after the words leave her mouth. "Absolutely! Does she have a favorite meal? Any allergies? What time do you think she would be able to come over?"
"Chlo…" Beca warns with a chuckle, laying her hand on her wife's upper arm.
She grins sheepishly. "Sorry. Too many questions."
Laughing through her uncertainty, Quinn just shakes her head. "No allergies. She'll eat anything. And she can come over whenever… I just need to let her know so that she can account for the time it takes her on the bus."
Chloe furrows her eyebrows. "Oh, we can go pick her up, that's not a problem." Quinn grimaces before she can stop herself, and Chloe catches herself. "Never mind. Why don't you tell her five-thirty, and then we can eat at six?"
"That works."
Ava finishes her bite of pancake, a smear of syrup on her cheek. "Izzy's coming?"
Forcing a somewhat believable smile on her face, Quinn nods. "You excited?"
"Yep!" She grins, turning to Rosie. "Rosie, Izzy's coming!"
Rosie just shrugs. "Who's Izzy?"
"She's Quinn's bestest friend. She's really funny. Right, J?"
Jordan just responds with an obviously content smile on his face. Despite not being Izzy's biggest fan, he does miss the girl. Plus, the fact that Quinn is allowing Beca and Chloe to meet her, means that she's following through on her promise to try harder with the Mitchells.
Beca leans up against the opposite counter, taking another sip of coffee. "Maybe we can convince Chloe to make her famous chocolate cake."
Chloe winks at her from across the room. "I think that can be arranged."
The shrill ring of the doorbell cuts the excitement short though, interrupting Ava's explanation of Izzy, and the slightly panicked thoughts racing through Quinn's mind about what Beca and Chloe are expecting this dinner to be.
Chloe beats Beca to the door, moving through the hallway with a soft smile on her face. She unlocks it and barely looks up, until she sees a certain blonde waving animatedly at her from the porch.
Chloe quirks an eyebrow, laughing slightly as she unlocks the glass door. "Skylar? What are you doing here?"
Like everything Skylar says, her answer is loud, voice raised and practically yelling. She pushes her way past Chloe, going to the kitchen as she answers over her shoulder, "Do you or your wife ever check your phone?"
In the kitchen, Beca straightens at the sound of Skylar's voice, gently placing her mug down on the counter, and waiting for the blonde to round the corner. She does, dressed in sweats and a loose t-shirt, which is arguably the most dressed-down she's seen the twenty-something-year-old since starting to work with her. "What's wr—"
"Beca Mitchell! Where is your goddamn phone?!"
Beca widens her eyes just as Chloe comes back into the kitchen. "Skylar – there are kids. Right there."
She turns around as though noticing the four children at the counter for the first time. Rosie is practically vibrating in her chair, always loving when she gets to see Skylar. Ava is apprehensive, to say the least, slowly finishing the bite of pancake in her mouth as she stares at the newcomer, while Jordan and Quinn never look away. "Oops. Sorry." The apology is barely there, and she hardly acknowledges them, before turning back to the two Mitchell women. "But seriously. Have you even looked at your phone in the last hour? Either of you?"
Beca shakes her head, still thoroughly confused. "No, they're both upstairs – what is going on with you?"
Skylar throws her head backward with a dramatic groan, turning back to the kids. "Rosie, I need you to go upstairs and get your Mama's phone and be super speedy, okay?"
Rosie grins, "Can Ava come?"
"Heck yeah Ava can come." Skylar pauses, finally introducing herself for the first time. "I'm Skylar, by the way. I work with Beca. I've heard a lot about you three – welcome to the fam." She gives each one of the Perry siblings a genuine smile, waggling her fingers slightly, before turning back to the young redhead. "Go speedy quick, Rosie, okay? Hurry, hurry!"
Rosie and Ava slide off their chairs without another word, leaving their half-eaten breakfast abandoned and running off in the direction of the master bedroom. Beca and Chloe's jaws are still hanging open, neither one of them having any idea what is going on. "Skylar are you going to tell us what's –"
"SH! Now you have to wait for your daughters to get your phone because you two fools don't have them attached to your hip like normal people."
Chloe stands by Beca's side, eyeing the singer suspiciously. She loves Skylar, she really does. But she's been on tour for a while and Chloe has no idea what happens on those things. Maybe she's on something or –
"Mama! We got it!" Rosie and Ava come sprinting back into the kitchen, Beca's phone in her outstretched hand.
The brunette takes it from her daughter, not even able to utter a 'thank you' before Skylar is demanding, "Read the text messages. Now."
Still furrowing her eyebrows and practically glaring at Skylar, Beca helplessly opens her messages, Chloe looking over her shoulder as everyone else in the kitchen watches them closely.
But slowly, as Beca and Chloe scan the words on the screen, their jaws drop open, because there is no way that the words they're reading are correct. It's just not possible.
Grammys.
Nominated.
Record of the Year.
Album of the Year.
Producer of the Year.
Best New Artist.
All with either Beca or Skylar's name next to them, the majority having both.
Beca's hand slowly comes up to cover her mouth, staring in shock at the small glass device as Chloe swells with pride.
"Bec…"
Beca turns to face her wife, their eyes meeting immediately. "This…" she glances over at Skylar, words just about failing her. "This can't be real?"
"Believe it, Beca."
When Beca is finally able to focus on Chloe, tears have started to stream down her face, and she just stares in disbelief. "You did it, baby." The redhead throws her arms around Beca's neck, holding her close and squeezing tightly. It takes a minute for Beca to respond, too stunned to even fathom what is happening. "I am so proud of you."
Beca holds on tight, burying her face in the crook of her wife's neck, and inhaling deeply. Her heart is pounding out of her chest, the image of the text messages never once disappearing from her mind, because seriously - how is this even possible?
Sure, there were rumors, but Beca's never been one to pay attention to them. She has heard all of the whisperings from the execs at the label, has heard the claims of "it has to happen" and "there's no way the album won't be nominated." But Beca kept her head down. She didn't pay attention to them, because really, there wasn't any reason to. She isn't in the business for fame, she isn't in the business to be recognized. Beca learned a long time ago that she is lucky to be in a job that she enjoys doing. That she gets to be passionate about the work she does, day in, and day out. The fact that she was even given this opportunity – and not the opportunity to be nominated, but the opportunity to work, full-time, as a music producer, doing what she loves – is amazing in its own right. It's something that she has never taken for granted.
So, she blocked out those rumors, and in all honesty, she kind of forgot that today is the day that has been circled on the giant calendar in the board room at the label in red ink for months. But low and behold, here it is, and the proof is in her text messages.
The proof saying that the rumors are true. That Beca Mitchell, is in fact nominated for not one, but three Grammys.
How is this her life?
She lets out another laugh of disbelief, pulling away from Chloe and blinking away her own tears, while Chloe's bright blue orbs still glisten with remnants of hers. They get lost there for a moment, staring at each other with such love and adoration that the rest of the people in the kitchen disappear from around them.
That is, until Quinn clears her throat. "Is everything okay?"
Chloe's grin widens, pulling Beca tightly into her side, and waiting for her wife to break the news.
"I, uh…" Beca blushes, bringing her free hand up to the back of her neck, flicking her gaze to each one of her kids. "Skylar and I were nominated for a couple of uh… a couple of Grammys."
Quinn's jaw drops open, the only one old enough to actually know what the Grammys are. "Are you serious?"
Jordan turns to face his sister, before whipping his head back around to look at Beca. "What are Grammys?"
Rosie jumps in, too. "And what's nom-minated?"
Beca lets out another nervous chuckle, her heart not yet calming down. "The Grammys are… well –"
Skylar practically squeals, her excitement overflowing now that Beca has finally heard the news. "The Grammys are, like, the most important award for people who work in the music industry. And because of your Mama, we might be able to win one this year."
Jordan's eyes widen, his mouth tugging into a grin and his awed gaze never once leaving Beca. "Really? Like, you're the best?"
The heat continues to rise to Beca's cheek as she shakes her head, trying desperately to escape the compliments and the insinuations. "No, I'm not…we're not –"
Chloe holds her close, though, answering for her sputtering wife. "It is a very big accomplishment, and it means that Beca and Skylar have a lot of people who love their music."
Without saying anything, Jordan slides off his chair and covers the short distance between him and his foster mom. He wraps his arms around her waist, gently breaking her apart from Chloe as he holds on with all his might. "That is so cool. You are the best."
If Chloe's reaction and the reality of her current situation hadn't gotten to her, the sincerity of Jordan's actions does. A fresh batch of tears swells in her eyes. She drops Chloe's hand, and instead brings her arms around Jordan, running her hand lovingly over his head, and presses a kiss into the crown of his head once his curls settle back down. "Thank you, J."
Ava and Rosie quickly join in, hugging Beca's upper thigh more so than anything else, and the older woman can't help but feel overcome with love.
When the kids eventually let go of Beca, she sniffles, bringing her focus back to the rest of the room. Quinn, too, has a genuine smile on her face. "Congratulations, Beca, that's amazing."
"Thank you, Quinn."
Skylar beams. "Everyone's heading to the studio to celebrate, and you're all coming."
Beca scoffs. "Isn't that a little…I don't know… premature? Or, like, jinxing it?"
Skylar brushes her off. "No, we're not celebrating winning. We're celebrating being nominated. It's different."
Beca continues to shake her head, absentmindedly running her hand through Jordan's hair as he leans up against her front. "Chloe and the kids have school, Sky, and I still have other things I have to do at work. You know, that thing I do from nine to five?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The blonde turns to Chloe, "Come on, Chlo. Help me out here? Play hooky for the day and come celebrate the fact that your wife was nominated for three Grammys."
Chloe's mouth opens as she struggles to come up with something to say. She raises her shoulders, looking at Beca and trying to figure out what she's thinking. They've been so focused on ensuring that the kids aren't skipping school, that it seems pretty unreasonable to actively encourage it.
Quinn, though, sees the opportunity and runs with it. She gives Chloe a cheeky grin. "Yeah, Chlo. Let us play hooky?"
Chloe points a joking finger in her direction, eyes twinkling with mirth. "Watch it, you." The room fills with light laughs as Quinn holds her hands up in surrender, Chloe readdressing Beca. "Whatever you want, babe."
Beca sighs, only to be met with Rosie's attempt at convincing her. "Can we? Please, Mama?" Jordan, too, looks hopefully up at Beca, willing her to agree.
And with not one, not two, but four sets of pleading eyes (maybe even five because it looks as though Chloe is on board more than she was suggesting), Beca caves easily. "Okay. Go finish getting ready and we'll head out in a little bit."
Rosie and Ava jump up with a simultaneous 'whoop' before dashing back towards their bedroom, Jordan and Quinn quickly following them, uneaten breakfasts long forgotten.
Well, for them at least.
Skylar rocks back and forth a few times before a smirk grows on her face. "So, Bec, what're the odds I could get you to whip me up some of those pancakes?"
Beca locks the car behind them, taking Jordan's hand in hers as she leads her family across the parking lot of the record label. Rosie and Ava hold each other's hand, swinging them in between themselves as they skip next to Chloe. There's even a little pep in Quinn's step as they head toward the building.
Beca still hasn't quite wrapped her mind around the happenings of this morning. By the time her and Chloe finished feeding Skylar ("I literally woke up and came straight here, Bec"), the kids were dressed and ready to go, which is ironic considering how long they typically take to get ready for school. All four of them were vibrating with excitement, especially Jordan who has stuck by Beca's side until they were in the car on the way into the city. Beca can't help but feel excited too, bringing her kids into her work world.
The brunette pulls open the front door after tapping them in with her ID card, and Chloe takes the lead, bringing them through the lobby. It's insane how much the label has changed over the last few years after the influx of business when Skylar's (and Beca's) careers skyrocketed. Now, the design and the décor are much more modern, feeling almost like a high-end New York City label rather than a label in Atlanta.
Quinn lets out a low whistle, this being her and Ava's first time visiting. "You work here?"
Beca chuckles, relishing in the fact that Jordan has a content smile on his face as he looks around the lobby, this time replacing the feeling of amazement that was on his face when they arrived last time. "Sure do. It's pretty cool, huh?"
Quinn scoffs, nodding more to herself than anyone else as she runs her hand over the top of the unmanned front desk.
Laughter fills their ears as they approach the main hallway of the label, Beca knowing immediately that it's coming from their largest studio, one that has a sitting area and a wide open space for gatherings like the so-called celebration that Skylar demanded they attend. Beca quirks her head in the direction, motioning for Quinn to follow them that way as opposed to drifting in the other direction. By the time they get there, Beca at the front of the group as they enter the studio, the laughter has stopped and is replaced by applause.
Blush rises to Beca's cheeks instantly, using her free hand to wave off the compliments and desperately wishing that she could hide behind Jordan or even Chloe, who is joining in on the clapping herself.
"Knock it off," Beca chuckles, wrapping one arm around Theo and then a few other people on her team, never once letting go of Jordan's hand. "Congratulations, you guys."
Theo stands back, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's the first of many, Mitchell. Get used to it."
With another eye roll, Beca's ineptitude for accepting praise reaching its max for the day, the brunette gestures to her family. "Guys, this is Ava, Jordan, and Quinn, although I think most of you met Jordan a few weeks ago."
A chorus of "nice to meet yous" rings from the mouths of Beca's coworkers, Ava tucking herself into Rosie's side with a shy smile, while Quinn gives the men a short wave. She doesn't exactly know who they are, but by Beca's sentiments, it seems that they are some part of her production team.
Theo clears his throat, pointing to one of the tables behind them. "Well, Markus grabbed some food and coffee, so feel free to help yourselves. I think Skylar said she was coming back after she showered?"
"Yeah, apparently Chloe and I didn't look at our phones fast enough for her."
All three men respond in unison. "You didn't."
Resisting the urge to flip her coworkers off, Beca just gives Jordan's hand a little squeeze, addressing him and all of his siblings. "You guys want to go grab a snack?"
Rosie jumps a little. "Can we go get a piece of chocolate, Mama?"
Beca nods, handing Rosie the key to her office so that she can get inside, something that the five-year-old mastered quickly for easy access to the drawer of her desk that has a bag of individually wrapped chocolates for when her and Chloe visit (and for when Beca can't focus on her work). "Make sure you bring one back for Jordan and Quinn, okay?"
Chloe taps the top of Rosie's head. "And only one each."
Rosie grins. "Okay, Mommy." The little redhead tugs Ava along with her, disappearing quickly down the hallway in the direction of Beca's office.
"What about you, buddy? You want a snack?"
Jordan looks hesitantly over at the table, spotting a chocolate muffin that may or may not be calling his name.
Quinn snorts, noticing immediately. "Come on, J. I know you want that muffin."
Beca and Chloe watch as the teen leads Jordan over to the table by the shoulders, bending down slightly and whispering in his ear under the hum of the excitement of the room. With the music on and the rest of the members of Beca's team chatting amongst themselves, Beca can't even have a hope to hear what they're saying. All she knows is that she's thrilled they're happy and that they're getting along.
Chloe comes up behind her, wrapping her arms around Beca's waist and perching her head on her wife's shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, Bec."
Beca turns slightly, covering Chloe's hands with hers. She tilts her head in the direction of where Quinn and Jordan are now laughing amongst themselves. "I'm proud of them."
Chloe hums in agreement but doesn't let Beca out that easily. "I am, too. But Bec, babe, you were nominated for three Grammys today, so forgive me if I'm a little focused on you."
A light laugh flits past Beca's lips, her thumb rubbing lovingly across the back of Chloe's hand. "It's kind of crazy, isn't it?"
"Oh, it's totally insane. But I know with one-hundred percent certainty, that if anyone deserves it, it's you."
Slowly, Beca turns around, moving so that she can wrap her arms around Chloe's waist as they face each other, navy blue orbs meeting cerulean ones. "Well, I know with one-hundred percent certainty, that I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."
Chloe's mouth tugs into a soft smile, the sentiment making her heart flutter, just as these moments with Beca always do, even years of marriage later. "We do make a pretty good team, huh?"
Beca presses her lips to Chloe's, the noise and the excitement of the room around them fading to nothing. "The best."
One Year Ago
Beca hates heels. She always has. Unfortunately, part of working at the label requires her to wear heels more often than not. Not that it's an absolute requirement, but hey, she could stand to grow a few inches when in giant board meetings with ten men that tower over her.
Plus, Chloe likes them, so it's a win-win.
She tugs them off with a relieved sigh, nonetheless, tossing them in the corner of the dark mud room, before opening the door to reveal the brightly lit kitchen. "Hey, everyone."
"Mama!"
Chloe grins as soon as she lays her eyes on her exhausted wife, her heart swelling with her daughter's exclamation, meeting her halfway into her walk across the hardwood floor. "Hi, babe. How was work?"
Beca accepts Chloe's embrace and the kiss she presses against her lips, the stress and tension that has built up throughout the day, melting away. "It was fine, how was your day?"
"It was good."
The two women separate rather quickly so that Beca can turn and face those sitting at the counter. Rosie is grinning up at her with spaghetti sauce splattered about her face, and Macy is there, too, holding Elijah in her lap. With her mother apparently taking far too long, Rosie slides out of her chair, running over to the brunette and launching herself into Beca's arms. "Hi, Mama!"
Beca hoists her up onto her hip with an exaggerated groan. "Hi, bug. How was Miss Lesley's today?"
Rosie bounces slightly. "So much fun! We got to do finger paints!"
"And someone got said finger paints all over her new pair of jeans," Chloe muses quietly as she returns to her perch in the corner of the counter, eyes twinkling with delight.
"Uh oh… were you a little messy?"
Rosie giggles sheepishly, neither confirming nor denying Beca's question. "Look, Mama! Auntie M is here!"
Beca nods, carrying the four-year-old over to her sister. "I see that. Hi, Mace, and hi," Beca ruffles dark locks on Elijah's head, the boy working on bringing a handful of carrots to his mouth, "Mr. Eli."
Macy guides his hand carefully, her own pants covered with remnants of his dinner. "Hey. How was work?"
"It was fine… not that I don't love seeing you, but I wasn't expecting you to come over until Sunday." Beca places Rosie back in her chair, planting a kiss on top of her head, and then one on Elijah's. She plants one on Macy's head, too, without even thinking about it, even years after they've lived together. While the action results in an exaggerated eye roll, Macy remains silent. When Beca walks around to the other side of the counter, she lays her bag on the ground, tossing the few envelopes that were in her hand onto the granite.
Macy catches Elijah's eyes, grinning widely. He's only been with the family for about a month, and while it's clear that he's nervous around all members of the family, he's slowly becoming more comfortable. He took a liking to Macy shortly after their second meeting, and since then, whenever she's over, he tends to gravitate towards the younger Mitchell sister. "My car broke down again; Lucas is working, so Chlo came to pick me up. And, just saying, Skylar's song was on the radio when it happened so…"
Beca furrows her eyebrows, not bothering to indulge in her attempted joke. She knows that that song is playing regularly on the radio right now. Beca – and the rest of her family – are incredibly proud of her, but she also knows it has absolutely nothing to do with Macy's car troubles. Obviously. "It broke down again?"
"Yeah, I need to just a get a new one. At this point I'm putting more into it in repairs than I would be if I just bought something else."
Behind her, Chloe starts to dish some spaghetti onto three more plates. "We can go with you this weekend to look if you want. Is Lucas working?"
Macy takes a sip of her wine, balancing Eli on her thigh as the inquisitive two-year-old trails the glass with his eyes. "No, but I think we're going to go up to his parents' house for dinner on Saturday. Spend the day up there. He has his car, so it'll be fine."
"Are you comin' for dinner again, Auntie M?"
Macy nods as Beca helps Chloe pass around the three new plates of dinner. "On Sunday I will be. And Uncle Lucas will be there, too."
Rosie grins, pulling her legs underneath her and sitting back on her calves. "Yay."
Beca takes a small bite of her pasta, savoring the test of Chloe's cooking as she picks up the first few envelopes. She separates the actual mail into two piles while Chloe and Macy's conversation falls into the back of her mind, before picking up the envelope Theo had shoved into her hand as she was heading out the door. Beca wipes her hand on the napkin, opening the envelope and pulling the check from its depths. She unfolds it quickly, not really thinking about the mundane task of opening her paycheck, until her eyes land on the actual amount.
She chokes on the bite of pasta, nearly coughing red sauce all over her sister.
The conversation freezes, Chloe at her side instantly. "Beca? Are you okay?"
Beca covers her mouth with the napkin in her hand, coughing a few more times while Chloe pats her back, Macy and the kids watching on with wide eyes. When she finally is able to get her breathing under control, Beca picks up the perforated paper with shaking hands. She holds it up so Chloe can see. "There's no way that's right."
Chloe looks carefully at the printed number, her jaw dropping slightly as she sees the additional digits added to what is normally there. "What in the world?"
"What's wrong Mommy?"
Chloe glances up briefly at Rosie who is currently leaning over the counter, her shirt dangerously close to the sauce on the plate. "Nothing, love. Can you sit back in your chair for me, please? I don't want you getting sauce on your pjs." Chloe turns back to Beca. "That has to be a mistake."
Beca distinctly remembers the combination of fear and relief that she used to feel every single time she got a paycheck from either Fig's, or the radio station, or even Residual Heat in the beginning years. She would always take a deep breath before tearing open the envelope, hoping and praying that it would be enough to cover rent for the next month. That it would be enough to keep Macy fed and to keep the electricity on. Even now when she has a job that pays enough to support her and her family, along with Chloe's salary of course, she still gets the familiar feeling of dread in her stomach prior to opening it. Wondering if the sense of security that she's developed over the years will be ripped away from her without any warning.
But this? This is just some sick joke. Because there is no way that her salary has increased that much over the last month with the release of Skylar's first single. Sure, Beca knows that it's been climbing the charts, but this…this is just insane. There's no way that it's right. It just isn't possible.
"What is it?" Macy holds her free hand out, taking the paper from Beca's once she passes it over to her. Like Chloe, Macy's jaw drops open, not being able to keep her response from spilling from her mouth. "Holy shit, Bec."
"Auntie M! That's a bad word!"
"Sorry, Ro." Macy barely acknowledges her niece – not that she means to be so flippant, but her shock is enough to keep her brain occupied right now. "You made that much because of Skylar's single?"
Beca shrugs helplessly, flicking her gaze from Chloe to Macy, not knowing what to think. "I have no idea! I guess, maybe, it's possible? But that seems like a lot, don't you think?"
Chloe, too, tries to work through it in her head, thinking back to the contract Beca signed with Union Records a few years ago. "Well, I mean you have your normal salary, plus the royalties on the song, and then, what? The advances and the percentage of the revenue?"
"It just seems like a lot." Beca runs a hand over her hair, staring at the check as it lays face up on the counter between her and Macy. "Like a lot a lot."
Macy nods her head in stunned agreement. "It's definitely more than you were making at Fig's, that's for sure."
Beca narrows her eyes in her sister's direction, "Mace…"
"What? It's true! And you worked hard to get here, Bec. Really hard."
Coming down from her own stunned state, Chloe gently rubs the small of her wife's back, still having a hard time comprehending the numbers that are in front of her. "She's right, Beca."
Macy lets out a soft chuckle, slowly shaking her head to herself. "And you should probably get used to it, because by the looks of it… it's only going to get crazier from here on out."
A little bit of fluffiness for you all :) Thank you so much for reading - I am hoping to get the next chapter out by midweek next week, but it may be Friday again...fingers crossed it is on the earlier side. Thanks so much for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed!